Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Group in Barrie
The group
A ten-week DBT skills group at our Barrie office, or by secure video anywhere in Ontario. Practical skills for managing emotions, getting through hard moments, and navigating relationships — learned and practised alongside others working on the same things.
The approach
A structured, skills-based therapy
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy is a highly structured talk therapy designed to help people manage emotions, reduce unhelpful behaviours, and build a meaningful life. Developed by psychologist Marsha Linehan, it combines cognitive-behavioural techniques with mindfulness and the acknowledgement of opposing realities.
Rather than only restructuring thoughts or discussing ongoing problems, DBT teaches practical skills in mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation and interpersonal effectiveness — targeting emotional dysregulation, unhelpful coping and reactivity directly.
Group sessions pair that skill-building with guidance, and give you a place to apply the techniques to real situations: ongoing conflicts, difficulty setting boundaries, and managing emotions more effectively.
In person or online
Join us in Barrie, or from anywhere in Ontario
We run the DBT group in person at our Barrie office and as a virtual group available across Ontario, so the format can fit your schedule rather than the other way around.
Handouts are provided. You are welcome to bring additional writing materials that suit the way you learn.
The four skill modules
Every DBT group works through the same four sets of skills. These are what you will practise over the ten weeks.
Group details
Your facilitator
Michael Fox, MSW, RSW
Michael received his DBT training through the Professional Education Systems Institute (PESI) and Dr. Lane Pederson, a DBT clinician and author who developed the Dialectical Trauma Recovery Model.
He runs this group because DBT offers tangible skills that apply across a wide range of concerns and situations, and he has seen how the model helps people connect with their emotions and understand the role those emotions play day to day.
He stays current with developments in DBT and asks group members for input, so sessions stay accessible and suited to what the group actually needs.
What the group can help with
A DBT group can help with everyday stress and with mental health challenges including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, trauma symptoms, substance misuse, and eating disorders.
Over the ten weeks you will learn ways to get through emotional pain in the moment through self-soothing, radical acceptance and distraction. As you gain insight into your own emotional patterns, you can reduce your vulnerability to them, increase positive experiences, and cope more effectively with anger, anxiety, guilt and shame.
The free consultation is where we talk through whether this group is the right fit for you right now, and answer your questions before you commit to the ten weeks.
Start with a free 20-minute consultation
There is no referral needed. Call, email, or book online, and we will find out together whether the DBT group is the right next step.
Balanced Life Therapy · 27 Gowan Street, Barrie, ON L4N 2N9